Charles N. DeGlopper's stand at Normandy earned the Medal of Honor

Jan 04 , 2026

Charles N. DeGlopper's stand at Normandy earned the Medal of Honor

He was a one-man wall against an enemy tide. Bullets shredded the air. Men scrambled back. Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on a ridge, his machine gun clawing the sky with fire. Every shot was a breath held, a prayer whispered, a life bought. Then a burst of lead found him—he fell. But his sacrifice ripped open a corridor for his brothers to survive.

The Roots of a Warrior

Charles Norman DeGlopper was born November 28, 1921, in Massena, New York. Raised in a tight-knit, working-class family, faith framed his character before boots ever touched mud. Church pews and Sunday school planted seeds of courage and duty that would later bloom on foreign soil.

His sense of honor was stitched together with scripture and small-town grit. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) It wasn’t just words to DeGlopper—it was a sacred mandate.

Before the war, he worked as a machinist’s apprentice. Hands steady, eyes sharp. Those traits would carve his path through chaos.

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. Normandy’s broken fields still slick with rain and gunpowder. DeGlopper served as a private in Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. His unit was withdrawing under relentless German fire near La Fière, as part of the brutal effort to hold the beachhead after D-Day.

Enemies pressed hard, trying to shatter the fragile line. Men scrambled downhill, backs hunched, boots slipping on dirt and blood. But no one man could stop the tide alone—except DeGlopper did.

He grabbed a Browning Automatic Rifle, sprinted ahead of his extraction line, and pinned down the enemy with suppressive fire. His withering bursts chewed through German machine-gun nests, buying seconds—no, minutes—for his comrades to form ranks and pull back.

One by one, he fell to overwhelming fire. Hit multiple times, he kept firing until his last breath. His body crumpled on the ground, but his resolve twisted the battle’s course.

“His action enabled the remainder of the company to withdraw—a decisive sacrifice in the chaotic storm of war.”

The Price of Valor

Posthumous Medal of Honor. The highest call. Awarded August 8, 1944. The citation captured his spirit:

“He gallantly covered the withdrawal of his company by delivering relentless fire upon the enemy at close range. His actions permitted his comrades to escape and continue their mission.”

Generals and historians alike mark that ridge as a narrow line between survival and annihilation. A witness said his fire “saved the day.”

DeGlopper was only 22.

The Eternal Echo

Charles DeGlopper’s story is carved into the granite of sacrifice. Not some abstract hero—he was a young man who chose death over desertion, defense over safety.

His final act forced an enemy to stumble and gave life to a company. It reverberates today in every veteran’s worn medal and every story whispered on cold nights.

Redemption often comes at a soldier’s price. One man’s stand can lift the weight from many shoulders.

His hometown honors him with a park and a plaque. His legacy inspires. Not just for valor—but for the raw humanity beneath it. For the brotherhood forged in fire, for the scar etched on the soul.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” — Jim Elliot

The smoke of Normandy may clear, but the cost stays. Charles N. DeGlopper’s courage is a clarion call—a stark reminder that some sacrifices refuse to fade. In his death, his life blazed a beacon: stand firm, hold the line, love fiercely enough to die so others might live.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. 82nd Airborne Division Historical Society, The 325th Glider Infantry in Normandy 3. O’Donnell, Patrick K., Fighting Pair: The True Story of a Legendary WWII Airborne Ranger Unit 4. U.S. War Department, Medal of Honor Citation—Charles N. DeGlopper